Gamabunta's School of Summoning
by Angel Weasel-Woman
Summary: Long before Kyuubi attacked Konoha, long before Shukaku was sealed in a tea kettle, Gamabunta started up a school for summon creatures.
1. Keditsumonne

The young _kitsune_ looked up at her parents, soft crimson eyes blinking curiously. Her mother's white fur stirred in the salty air, seven tails waving gently behind her. Her father in all his dark blue glory nodded at the vixen's words. A deep rumbling voice perked her attention and she looked over at the giant frog sitting before her parents, flinching slightly as the scent of smoke invaded her sensitive nostrils.

Gamabunta eyed Miyaki critically, holding his pipe mere inches from his mouth.

"Your daughter – Keditsumonne was it? – is fully prepared to make the sacrifices it takes to become a _shinobi _summon creature? To give her life to protect the ideals and village of her master?"

"Yes, of course." Miyuki looked at her kit. "Aren't you?"

The child nodded enthusiastically, wagging her two tails eagerly. "Uh-huh! Ked-chan is gonna be like 'kaachan and protect people and…" A small yellow creature took flight beside her and she pounced, crying, "Flutterbye!"

Miyaki's smile became a bit strained and she laughed nervously. "That can be forced out of her."

Gamabunta just chuckled quietly, nodding to himself. "She is still young and deserves all the innocence that can be bestowed upon her." He inhaled on his pipe and blew out a ring of smoke. "I'll see her tomorrow then."

"At the Great Oak, yes. Come along, sweetling. Tomorrow's a big day for you."

* * *

Hn… This was shorter than I remember. Oh well. Nine! Since you're the star of this, you do the disclaimer!

Nine: -grumble- Angel doesn't own Naruto.

Angel: And so, till next time!


	2. School

Kedit stepped into the large clearing, eyeing it with amazement. Fallen trees had been cut just so to create rows of desks all pointing towards the Giant Oak – named after the fact that it was nearly as tall and round as a redwood – with a chalkboard nailed to the trunk. A number of creatures, most of which Kedit had never seen before, were already gathered in groups, chattering away to each other.

Her lips formed into a grin when she saw a young black fox with three tails talking solemnly to a creature that resembled a wrinkly, short wolf with its muzzle and tail missing. She bounced over, jumping up on one of the desks and yipped a greeting.

The dark _kitsune_ looked up, light glinting off emerald eyes. "Who are you?"

"My name is Keditsumonne. I come from the C-Forest. What about you?"

The fox scoffed and drew himself up proudly. "The C-Forest? That doesn't even border human territory. _I_ am Delabokfnoxc from the Ox Woods in the Zodiac Forest."

Kedit's ears flattened against her skull and a soft growl began in her throat as he talked. What a braggart, she thought to herself. Repressing the sharp remark that rose in her throat, she turned to the odd looking wolf and asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Pakkun. I'm a pug dog from the village to the east."

"What's a dog?" Kedit questioned, tilting her head to one side, trying to do her best to ignore the other and failing miserably when his haughty voice broke through her mind.

"'What is a dog'? Where have you been, under a rock? The dog is a descendant of the wolf. I'm assuming you know what a wolf is."

"Of course I know! Momma's best friend is a wolf demon." She turned to Pakkun who was quietly observing the pair of _kitsune_. "How can you stand being around this jerk?"

The pug had no time to respond as there was a great explosion of smoke at the Giant Oak and a giant frog cried, "Get to your seats, brats! Not a one of you should be deskless."

Giving the black fox one last contemptuous glare, Kedit bounded across the clearing to the row of desks near where she had entered the clearing. Leaping up into one of the seats, her tails lashed irritably at the feel of sand moving under her paws. Still slightly miffed at the other _kitsune_'s attitude, she turned and said sharply, "Pull back your sand or I will do something very unpleasant."

"'Very unpleasant'?" the _tanuki _beside her snorted. "I've made worse than 'very unpleasant' happen since I was twenty."

She liked his voice, she decided, her bad mood evaporating at the prospect of a new friend. High-pitched and shrieky. Good for making fun of people. "Then I'm afraid you got off to a slow start. I was a full terror at fifteen." She smirked. "In fact, momma said that I'm the reason some of her friends aren't having children."

The _tanuki_ gave a feral grin. "I'm Shukaku from the Desert Starr."

"Keditsumonne from the C-Forest." She leaned in closer to him. "Are you _really_ from the Desert Starr? That's so far west from here."

"Dad said that mom wanted me to be a good summon as a last wish, and apparently GamaBunta's school is famous for teaching this kind of stuff."

"'Last wish'?"

"She and all my littermates died when we were being born. Dad said it's lucky that I survived."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I never knew 'em, so I can't miss 'em, right? 'Sides, it doesn't matter what with –"

"You two!" GamaBunta suddenly called. "Row F – answer me!"

Both Shukaku and Kedit whipped around to stare blankly at the frog, gaping and mumbling.

"Tell him where you're from and your names," a voice hissed from behind them. "We're doing introductions."

"Uh… Keditsumonne from the C-Forest?" the _kitsune_ called tentatively. GamaBunta nodded and looked expectantly at the _tanuki_.

"Shukaku of the Desert Starr."

"Good." GamaBunta said stiffly. "You know when to take good advice when you hear it. You! Row H – name and location."

Kedit flushed slightly and looked over her shoulder, saying sheepishly, "Thank you very much for – Pakkun-kun! When did you get there?" Her voice soured. "Where's the jack-wad?"

The pug merely grinned. "I ditched him a while back. Plus, my whole family's been summons, so I learned a little bit before I came."

"Well thank the gods for you." The _kitsune_ smiled softly as Shukaku snorted. Kedit would have scolded him for being rude when GamaBunta's voice rose again.

"Each and every one of you are here for a reason – to become competent enough to be a _shinobi_ summon creature. You will be train in _ninjutsu_, _genjutsu_, and even _taijutsu_. You will learn to use every part of your body, every ounce of your chakra-slash-aura-slash-what-have-you, every sense you possess to your advantage.

"From this moment on, you are no longer children, but ninja-in-training. Tools-in-the-making. I will mold you into elite machines capable of anything the humans can do – more than what the humans can do.

"Now." GamaBunta slammed his foot into the ground and before each of the students appeared a thick book in separate explosions of smoke. "Open your books and turn to…"

* * *

Kedit stretched out and lashed her tails, trying to reinitiate the blood flow. Flicking her ear as she lay on her bed, a shadow fell across her and an icy chill alerted her of her mother's presence. 

"How was your first day, sweetling?"

"Terrible." She rolled over onto her stomach to let her paws dangle above her limply. "Over half the class couldn't read, so we spent all day going over the alphabet and tomorrow we're learning kanji. We won't even be getting to the _ruins_ in a week!"

"It will be a good review for you."

Kedit stuck out her tongue. Suddenly reminded by her own action, she shifted around until she could see the graceful wind fox sitting in the entranceway. "Hey, momma, what does black fur mean?"

"'Black fur'?" Miyaki thought for a moment, recalling her own mother's words. "Black fur is the Void _kitsune_. They deal in shadow and dark magics."

"Void huh…" Kedit grimaced. "He's a jerk anyway."

"Who is?"

"Deablonox or whatever he called himself. He was so snotty just because he comes from the Zodiac Woods. He hates me just because I don't come from some fancy bunch of trees…"

"I'm sure he doesn't hate you, sweetling."

"Sure he does…"

Miyaki sighed softly at her daughter's stubborn tone. "Did you meet anyone else?"

Suddenly, Kedit's sour mood dissipated and she scrambled into a sitting position, grinning. "Uh-huh! I met a _tanuki_ from the Desert Starr. He's really cool."

"The Desert Starr? My, that's all the way in _Sunagakure_. What is he doing on the border of the fire country?"

"His dad told him his mother wanted him to be a summon before she died."

"Oh, that poor dear. What is his name?"

"Shukaku."

"Sh-Shukaku!"

Kedit leapt to her feet worriedly. "Momma? What's wrong?"

"Shukaku is the heir to the richest demon in the desert, Sabaku no Kitanu. It's said that his treasure is even more vast than the oldest dragon's."

"Really?" She thought about that for a moment. "That's cool… Why do pug dogs look so funny?"

Miyaki blinked in the sudden change of topic. "'Pug dogs'? Where did you meet a pug dog?"

"He's in my class too. His name is Pakkun."

"Ah, Pakkun's family is famous, too – his ancestors were the first summon creatures ever."

"Wow. So I know all sorts of famous people." Kedit gave a soft, shy smile, saying hopefully, "I hope they'll like me."

Miyaki smiled and padded over to gently nuzzle her child into sleep.

"Just be yourself and you will have as many friends as you could ever need."

* * *

Just a quick question to the readers – does anyone know of a good place to look up _tanuki_ legends/lore? I've only managed to find the tale of Shukaku and have a slight bit of info from Shounen Jump, but that's it. So with that little plea out of the way, Obito can say the disclaimer. 

Obito: Angel doesn't own Naruto so don't sue.

Angel: Excellent. -glomps him- So, till next time!


	3. Fight

Kedit walked through the bushes towards the usual clearing, unable to locate the small path that would get her through safely and trying not to get too excited about the day. Finally after a month and a half of intense week-long classes, GamaBunta had caught up the entire group on their reading skills. So now they would actually be able to start opening their books and learning about basic _ninjutsu_ which would turn into regular _ninjutsu_ which would further become advanced _ninjutsu_...

The demon couldn't help the squeal of excitement the emerged from her lips as she thought of all the wonderful things to learn. And there were rumors that when the class ended, they would be separated into groups to be taught more intensely by a special summon teacher. It was going to be wonderful, exciting, if not downright magical.

As the neared the brush that separated her from the clearing/class area, she could hear whispers and high-pitched giggling.

"Ugh," she groaned softly. She knew right away that it was Barbara, Danie, and Jun. Barbara (Barbie, as she liked to be called after some human plaything) was a cat demon with luscious pink fur and three tails that ended in creamy white dollops that looked not unlike whipped cream. Her eyes glimmered gold and her claws were usually painted to reflect the color. Danie was a slim, sexy kangaroo demon who considered herself exotic if only because she and her father were the only two to inhabit the continent. Her fur was a deep tan, almost brown, and she had eyes of blue; her pouch (that she claimed she had magiced to be infinitely deep) seemed to be filled with nothing more useful than the latest mascara or rouge. Jun, the last one, was a young rabbit demon with an odd calico pattern - deep orange markings around her back and chest that continually shifted position and black circles that spiraled up her long, drooping ears.

Kedit figured that the only reason Barbie and Dani hung out with Jun was because the rabbit's mother often took a human form to work in a cosmetic's shop, so Jun was the first to get any sort of make-up weeks before it was supposed to be released. Because otherwise, Barbie and Dani were just horrible to everyone - bitching and whining until they got their way. They constantly made fun of the other females and even some of the weaker boys until GamaBunta caught on and told them off. Jun was actually a rather sweet thing, too shy to make a nasty comment about anything and instead preferring to smile at anyone she passed.

She held her breath as she pushed her way through the bushes, looking up and seeing the disappointed faces of Barbie and Dani. The cat and kangaroo were pouting, fuming at the sight of her while Jun did her best to look as disappointed as the other two.

"What are you doing?" Barbie demanded with a huff.

"Getting to class," Kedit responded. "Unlike you two losers." She hated grouping Jun in with the other two, so she always did her best to exclude her. "What are _you_ doing, anyway?"

"That's none of your business," Dani snapped. She reached into her pouch to pull out a small pink mirror, holding it up to check her lips which were painted a deep brown. "So just get lost, bitch."

Kedit flicked her tails irritably and flattened her ears against her skull. She would have liked to snap and tear out Dani's throat, but before she could consider moving, Barbie suddenly reached out and shoved her aside. The _kitsune _yelped as she tumbled to the ground.

"What was that for?!" Kedit demanded, but she was drowned out by the sudden squealing and swooning of all other females in the clearing. Kedit shook her head t clear it and looked around for the sudden source of excitement. Once she found it, she growled.

Delabokfnoxc had just emerged from the single, hidden pathway Kedit had been unable to find. His fur was sleek and shiny as usual, and wasn't at all ruffled even with the wind blowing in harsh spurts. He held his head high in the air and his violet eyes seemed to stare down his nose at everyone else. As he passed by Barbie, Dani and Jun, the former two swooned and nearly fainted with glee and Jun did her best to look as interested as the rest of the girls did.

Kedit growled at the show-off and pushed herself back to her feet, shaking her body to rid it of the dirt that had caught in her fur. The rage in her eyes burned like fire and she was about to say something when a familiar, shrieking voice called out her name. Her bad mood evaporated slightly and she forced herself to pass by Barbi and Dani without doing them psychical harm, heading toward her seat which was, as usual, full of sand.

"Hey, Shuka-kun," Kedit grumbled. She felt the sand burrowing into her fur, rubbing gently against her flesh. The feeling was oddly comforting and she relaxed into the stump that served as their combined chair.

"What's up?" Shukaku asked, sitting with his paws and tail in his lap. "Have fun with the bitches?"

"Jun's not that bad..." Kedit mumbled to herself before sighing. She looked around the clearing and saw that the eyes of every female there were locked on Delabokfnoxc as he sauntered over to his seat and leapt into it. "Am I the only girl here that liked guys based on their personalities rather than how cute their butt is?"

"Maybe you're just a lesbian," Shukaku offered.

"Oh, shut up," Kedit responded, shoving the _tanuki_ roughly. Shukaku was about to shove her back when GamaBunta suddenly appeared in a puff of smoke, causing all the loitering creatures to bolt for their seats.

"All right, brats," GamaBunta said, voice causing the ground to rumble. "If you weren't in your seats, you have detention. And don't think I don't know which of you were screwing around." Groans arose from over half the class and GamaBunta slammed a foot down on the ground, causing a cloud of dust to fly up and everyone to fall silent. "Today I'm going to group you into fours and you'll each research a certain type of _jutsu. _You will choose a group leader and that leader will inform me of your choice. If you do not have a group leader by the time I come back to you, you will have detention."

Again, the air was filled with groans and grumbling and Kedit growled to Pakkun in the seat before her, "With all the detention all of us get, we'll never get to go home."

Pakkun bit his paw to keep from snickering and Shukaku giggled into his shoulder. As GamaBunta began to ramble off the list of names, Kedit looked around her. For certain Barbie and Dani were going to be paired together - they refused to work with anyone else, no matter what punishment might befall them. Jun would probably be dragged into their group as well. And Kedit could tell that they were hoping for Delabokfnoxc to be grouped with them.

She turned to glare at the back of the other _kitsune_'s head three rows in front of her, willing her gaze to burn a hole through his head and damage his brain. She could still not see what all the other girls, and even some boys, saw about him that made anyone within twenty feet of him swoon into a pile of mush. As though he could feel her staring, Delabokfnoxc his head slightly to look at Kedit. Their eyes met and Kedit felt a surge of fury well within her stomach.

'Stupid fox,' she thought to herself, feeling her tails twine around each other. 'Just go die already.'

Suddenly, while GamaBunta was busy yelling at Dani and Barbie, Delabokfnoxc reached up with one paw and showed his middle finger - an action she knew to be a human way of contempt. With a cry of rage, Kedit launched herself from her seat, bounced across Pakkun's desk and the desk of some shadowy creature with too many eyes, and slammed into Delabokfnoxc's side, sending them both tumbling to the ground. She could hear her teacher yelling at her and a chant of "Fight!" arose from all her classmates, but she ignored it all in favor of biting the Void _kitsune_'s ear, ripping off the very tip of it with a splash of blood.

The rage she felt was quenched slightly when she heard him yelp in pain, but it returned threefold when he grabbed hold of her fur and yanked it, ripping out a huge clump. She snarled and attacked his face again, wanting desperately to rip out his eye, as he continued to scratch her and rip her stomach and chest open. The sent of blood was surrounding her and her tails rubbed against each other to create sparks that ignited in the air. Suddenly, one of her paws was in his mouth and he was biting hard enough that her bones were about to snap and she was lashing her tails to build up the fire she was going to rain down on him.

Then a long stream of ice-cold water washed over both of them and the two _kitsune_ let go of each other just so that they could breathe. Kedit managed to crawl away, stumbling and whining as she blew water from her nose. She could feel the liquid that had entered her lungs and commanded the fire that ran through her body to get rid of it. The yelling of her teacher was drowned out by the other students' sounds of disappointment that the fight had ended so soon. She turned her head weakly and found herself growling at the sight of about ten females gathered around Delabokfnoxc, cooing and blathering on, asking if he was hurt or if she had done anything to harm him permanently.

She was about to haul herself back to her feet and attack again, when she heard a scratchy voice say to her, "That was pretty awesome, you know."

Kedit looked up at Shukaku and Pakkun and grinned. "I figure that'll get him to stop pestering me." She shoved her front paws under her and pushed herself up. "Now he'll know not to mess with Keditsumonne."

Shukaku laughed as Kedit almost collapsed, and he commanded the dirt to rise up and support her. Pakkun grinned as she leaned against the new support and told her, "He's probably going to thank you for giving his fanclub an excuse to fawn over him."

Kedit made a face. "If he gets near me again, I'm going to rip his damn tails off. I'm serious."

"Keditsumonne of the C-Forest! Delabokfnoxc of the Zodiac Forest!"

Both _kitsune_ jumped suddenly as the ground beneath them quaked. Sheepishly, they turned to their teacher who had turned completely and utterly red. Kedit felt herself shrink almost as GamaBunta towered over them, casting them in shadow.

"What is the meaning of this?" GamaBunta had stopped yelling, and that made it that much scarier. His eyes narrowed when neither answered him and he slammed his foot down again, causing the very trees to tremble. "What is the meaning of this?"

Kedit leapt to her feet, ignoring the way her ankle quivered as though it were about to break. "He's the one that started it, sensei! He was being an asshole and--"

"I'm the one that started it?" Delabokfnoxc snarled, glaring. "You're the one who tackled me!"

"You were being a dick!"

"I saw it, sensei," Pakkun said suddenly, as Shukaku began secretly wrapping sand around Kedit's legs so that she didn't attack the other _kitsune_ again. "He provoked her."

"Why would he do that?!" Barbie shrieked, tails puffing out in anger. "She's just a nobody! Why would Delabokfnoxc-sama bother with her?"

"And what is that supposed to mean?!" Shukaku demanded, readying his sand to attack. "She is not 'just a nobody'!"

"Shukaku..." Kedit murmured at the same time Gamabunta snapped the name. She flinched and looked up at the angered frog. The _tanuki_ demon looked up, not a trace of fear shown on his face as the giant frog stared down at the whispering class.

"That's it," Gamabunta decided once the crowd of students fell silent. "Keditsummone - two weeks of detention for fighting. Delabokfnoxc - three weeks of detention for fighting and provocation." Kedit grinned and stuck her tongue out at the Void _kitsune_ who glared at her. "Shukaku - a week of detention for provocation. Barbie - four weeks of detention."

"Four?!" Barbie shrieked causing Jun to cover hear ears and wince. "Why the hell do I have four weeks?!"

"Five now," GamaBunta replied, sounding almost happy about it. "One for provocation, one for cursing, two for refusing orders, and one just because." As Barbie gaped at the sheer injustice that she felt was done to her, Gamabunta continued to speak. "Not only detention, but you four will be grouped up together. You are to study the techniques that deal with the eyes." He then began to lumber away, calling out more names to the stunned students.

It was only after calss was dismissed that the young creatures began to talk, no longer fearing what their teacher would do to them. It was as Pakkun was passing by Kedit and Shukaku's desk that he paused to say to them, "I think you were in the right, Kedit."

The _kitsune_ gave a sad smile as she plopped her head on the desk. "Thanks, Kun-kun. I'll see you later, right?"

"Sure," was the pug's reply. "If you survive detention, that is."

* * *

I don't own Naruto or anything recognizable. But I do own Dani, Barbie, Jun and Delabokfnoxc. So, till next time! 


End file.
